Why You Need to Unplug More Often

We live in a society of instant communication, instant answers, instant gratification. Everything and anything can be found with the press of a button on our phones. This constant communication and connection can be really unhealthy though.

I’ve never been superb at having patience, but I feel like with everything so instant and accessible, it becomes harder to be patient when it cannot be controlled or instantaneous. Because of this, it is so important to take some time out of the day to unplug from the devices and reconnect with the world around us!

My roommate got this awesome book full of ideas for how to do exactly this. It’s called Unplug Every Day and it’s available on Amazon if you’re interested in checking it out. However, I wanted to share my experiences with unplugging that maybe you can use in your own life too!

I think that it’s important to avoid being plugged in immediately before bed or after waking up in the mornings. This one is especially difficult for me, but it’s something that I want to be more intentional about. Instead of reaching for my phone I could read a book, pray, meditate, or do some yoga.

I’ve had more success with unplugging when I go to Starbucks to get things done. I’ve established a routine in that I get my coffee, pray, read my devotional, then work on homework. I guess you could call it cheating a little because the homework is for an online class, but I am focusing my attention on it and putting in more effort than I probably need to. I also typically do some blog work while there too, but I think that in doing these activities which are relaxing and I enjoy is different than mindlessly scrolling through facebook.

Another way to disconnect would be to go on a walk, although I haven’t done this as much since it’s getting colder. When you go for a walk, leave your phone at home if its safe to do so, or keep it off in a pocket. Bonus: go with a friend and have an honest to goodness conversation!

It’s definitely something that I’m working on right now, so I am nowhere near perfect at it. But, I have really enjoyed my time when I am disconnected!

What’s your favorite way to disconnect? Let me know in the comments below or email me at teawithtaratheblog@gmail.com, I’d love to talk about it more with you!